Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook has been on a tear as he leads the league in triple-doubles this season with 16. With the way things are going, he just might be able to power his team deeper to the postseason in April.
His recent triple-double came against the Toronto Raptors, where he tallied 26 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds en route to a 119-100 victory. According to SB Nation, Westbrook is simply playing with a lot of tenacity and extra motivation this season.
However, his string of excellent performances came to a halt when they were defeated by the Detroit Pistons, 82-88, led by former teammate, Reggie Jackson. Although Westbrook scored 24 points, he had to throw 28 shots to reach those numbers.
At the end of the game, Jackson was seen celebrating with the crowd, which Westbrook did not appreciate at all. He took it to the media after the game.
"Yeah, I did actually," Westbrook said in a press interview via ESPN. "Honestly, I think that was some real bulls---. I don't appreciate it for our team and our organization. I don't like it at all. But it is what it is. We'll see him down the line. We'll take care of that when we get there."
During his time with the Thunder, Jackson was very vocal on his desire to become the starting point guard. However, having an All-Star teammate in Russell Westbrook made it harder for Jackson and the Thunder to give him the starting duties.
Eventually, Jackson demanded a trade and he got his wish granted when he was dealt to the Detroit Pistons during the 2014-2015 NBA season. He cried tears of joy after finally getting what he wants. He became their starting point guard since Brandon Jennings was out for the rest of that season due to an injury.
Since he played particularly well, he was granted a five-year, $80 million contract by the Pistons management. President and head coach Stan Van Gundy said he foresees Jackson as their future court general which made the decision easier for them to give him the lucrative contract. Watch Westbrook's interview saying he did not appreciate Jackson's gesture.